Coventry and Warwickshire’s premier economic conference will this year feature leading figures from the world of business and politics.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual economic conference at the Ricoh Arena on Friday, October 14, which will focus on its Go For Growth campaign and look at the effect of Brexit on businesses in the region.
Mark Berrisford-Smith, the head of economics at HSBC will provide the economic outlook and will be followed by keynote speeches by former government minister Michael Portillo and Check-a-trade founder Kevin Byrne.
There will also be two expert panels including the likes of Microsoft, HSBC and Simplify IT, while David Burbidge, the chair of Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021, will also be speaking.
The conference is being sponsored by HSBC, the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP, Coventry University Enterprises and Simplify IT. Adam Dent, of Advent Communications, will facilitate the event, which will run from 8.15am until 1pm and will be followed by lunch.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “Our annual conference is the biggest economic event in the region and each year we look to make it even better.
“We are thrilled with the quality of the speakers we have managed to secure and it really does cover a cross section from business and politics – locally and nationally.
“It’s been a historic year, dominated by the country’s decision to leave the EU and the political fall-out that followed, and this will be an opportunity to hear from a range of experts on how that has already affected firms across the patch and what the long-term effect will be.
“At the beginning of 2016, we launched our Go For Growth campaign that was looking to help firms overcome hurdles to growth and also highlight positive stories – that has proved extremely effective but, of course, Brexit has overtaken the media agenda.
“However, the vast majority of our members are saying they are operating a ‘business as usual’ policy and we want the conference to reflect that too.
“It promises to be a great chance to network with businesses from across the area and also to hear from a wonderful array of speakers.”